diff --git a/src/basic/btrfs-util.c b/src/basic/btrfs-util.c
index b48e7371f6..62f4fca947 100644
--- a/src/basic/btrfs-util.c
+++ b/src/basic/btrfs-util.c
@@ -160,6 +160,31 @@ int btrfs_subvol_make(const char *path) {
         return btrfs_subvol_make_fd(fd, subvolume);
 }
 
+int btrfs_subvol_make_fallback(const char *path, mode_t mode) {
+        mode_t old, combined;
+        int r;
+
+        assert(path);
+
+        /* Let's work like mkdir(), i.e. take the specified mode, and mask it with the current umask. */
+        old = umask(~mode);
+        combined = old | ~mode;
+        if (combined != ~mode)
+                umask(combined);
+        r = btrfs_subvol_make(path);
+        umask(old);
+
+        if (r >= 0)
+                return 1; /* subvol worked */
+        if (r != -ENOTTY)
+                return r;
+
+        if (mkdir(path, mode) < 0)
+                return -errno;
+
+        return 0; /* plain directory */
+}
+
 int btrfs_subvol_set_read_only_fd(int fd, bool b) {
         uint64_t flags, nflags;
         struct stat st;
diff --git a/src/basic/btrfs-util.h b/src/basic/btrfs-util.h
index b15667bf2f..c1bbb42ca1 100644
--- a/src/basic/btrfs-util.h
+++ b/src/basic/btrfs-util.h
@@ -66,6 +66,8 @@ int btrfs_quota_scan_ongoing(int fd);
 int btrfs_subvol_make(const char *path);
 int btrfs_subvol_make_fd(int fd, const char *subvolume);
 
+int btrfs_subvol_make_fallback(const char *path, mode_t);
+
 int btrfs_subvol_snapshot_fd_full(int old_fd, const char *new_path, BtrfsSnapshotFlags flags, copy_progress_path_t progress_path, copy_progress_bytes_t progress_bytes, void *userdata);
 static inline int btrfs_subvol_snapshot_fd(int old_fd, const char *new_path, BtrfsSnapshotFlags flags) {
         return btrfs_subvol_snapshot_fd_full(old_fd, new_path, flags, NULL, NULL, NULL);
diff --git a/src/home/homework-luks.c b/src/home/homework-luks.c
index de7535fc60..5eb67bc2b3 100644
--- a/src/home/homework-luks.c
+++ b/src/home/homework-luks.c
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 
 #include "blkid-util.h"
 #include "blockdev-util.h"
+#include "btrfs-util.h"
 #include "chattr-util.h"
 #include "dm-util.h"
 #include "errno-util.h"
@@ -2037,8 +2038,10 @@ int home_create_luks(
                 goto fail;
         }
 
-        if (mkdir(subdir, 0700) < 0) {
-                r = log_error_errno(errno, "Failed to create user directory in mounted image file: %m");
+        /* Prefer using a btrfs subvolume if we can, fall back to directory otherwise */
+        r = btrfs_subvol_make_fallback(subdir, 0700);
+        if (r < 0) {
+                log_error_errno(r, "Failed to create user directory in mounted image file: %m");
                 goto fail;
         }
 
diff --git a/src/import/import-tar.c b/src/import/import-tar.c
index 1e50d31bc2..5d2bf22fb2 100644
--- a/src/import/import-tar.c
+++ b/src/import/import-tar.c
@@ -220,13 +220,10 @@ static int tar_import_fork_tar(TarImport *i) {
 
         (void) mkdir_parents_label(i->temp_path, 0700);
 
-        r = btrfs_subvol_make(i->temp_path);
-        if (r == -ENOTTY) {
-                if (mkdir(i->temp_path, 0755) < 0)
-                        return log_error_errno(errno, "Failed to create directory %s: %m", i->temp_path);
-        } else if (r < 0)
-                return log_error_errno(r, "Failed to create subvolume %s: %m", i->temp_path);
-        else
+        r = btrfs_subvol_make_fallback(i->temp_path, 0755);
+        if (r < 0)
+                return log_error_errno(r, "Failed to create directory/subvolume %s: %m", i->temp_path);
+        if (r > 0) /* actually btrfs subvol */
                 (void) import_assign_pool_quota_and_warn(i->temp_path);
 
         i->tar_fd = import_fork_tar_x(i->temp_path, &i->tar_pid);
diff --git a/src/import/pull-tar.c b/src/import/pull-tar.c
index 3930578a8c..ede28bee1b 100644
--- a/src/import/pull-tar.c
+++ b/src/import/pull-tar.c
@@ -415,13 +415,10 @@ static int tar_pull_job_on_open_disk_tar(PullJob *j) {
 
         mkdir_parents_label(i->temp_path, 0700);
 
-        r = btrfs_subvol_make(i->temp_path);
-        if (r == -ENOTTY) {
-                if (mkdir(i->temp_path, 0755) < 0)
-                        return log_error_errno(errno, "Failed to create directory %s: %m", i->temp_path);
-        } else if (r < 0)
-                return log_error_errno(r, "Failed to create subvolume %s: %m", i->temp_path);
-        else
+        r = btrfs_subvol_make_fallback(i->temp_path, 0755);
+        if (r < 0)
+                return log_error_errno(r, "Failed to create directory/subvolume %s: %m", i->temp_path);
+        if (r > 0) /* actually btrfs subvol */
                 (void) import_assign_pool_quota_and_warn(i->temp_path);
 
         j->disk_fd = import_fork_tar_x(i->temp_path, &i->tar_pid);